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Exorcism-resistant ghost possession treated with clopenthixol

A S Hale¹, N R Pinninti

¹UMDS Guy's and St Thomas's, London.

The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science

|September 1, 1994

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This study details a case where traditional exorcisms failed for a man experiencing ghost possession. Neuroleptic medication, however, led to remission of his symptoms.

Area of Science:

Psychiatry
Cultural Psychiatry
Neuroscience

Background:

A patient presented with criminal behavior attributed to episodic ghost possession.
Traditional exorcism practices proved ineffective in alleviating the patient's symptoms.

Observation:

The patient's condition was diagnosed using a Western framework as either a dissociative state or paranoid schizophrenia.
Treatment was initiated with trifluoperazine and clopenthixol, both neuroleptic medications.

Findings:

The patient achieved remission of symptoms while undergoing treatment with neuroleptic medication.
This occurred despite prior indications of what was perceived as genuine possession.

Implications:

Culturally diverse societies report cases that appear to be genuine instances of ghost possession.

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Neuroleptic medications may offer a viable treatment for symptoms associated with possession resistant to exorcism.